Story+1980-11-15+Houston,+TX

“I remember...when I was back in high school, grammar school…I never did any good in school, I was...I was always bored or not interested...and...it wasn’t until, uh...I started listening to the radio and stuff...where...I just got...from the singers, it was back in early Sixties...and there was a lot of just beautiful stuff on the radio (crowd cheers) and...and they just, those singers, those guys, I, I didn’t know, from North Jersey, from New York, I’d hear it coming across the air (crowd cheers) and they just...they just gave you... the idea about just possibilities are limitless, you know...and...I always regret it about...I always thought there was a lot of stuff in school that...that was potentially really interesting but that they never knew how to get it through your head...they never knew how to get it down to your heart...now, I always wish I could’ve learned about history...and...just the history of this country when I was young...now, the first thing I really remember was...I was riding down the road, I was 15 years old...and on came “Like a Rolling Stone” (crowd cheers) and...and I remember it was on the AM-radio and the, that speaker was all distorted and I couldn’t pick out all the verses but there was this one line and there was this one question...that when he said ”How does it feel to be on your own?” (crowd cheers) so...this is for all you guys that are out there on your own tonight (crowd cheers)...”
 * 15.11.80 Houston, TX, intro to “Independence Day”**

”I remember my old man could’ve...there was a lot of things that came out when he was young...where he could’ve had it better for himself...except...he had my mom, he had me and my sisters to watch over...so if your folks...worked every day of their lives...at a job they hated, for you...this song is for you too...”
 * 15.11.80 Houston, TX, intro to “Factory”**

“Thanks (crowd cheers) Big Man, the E Street Band (crowd cheers) we’re gonna take a short break, then we’re gonna come back, we’re gonna play a whole lot more for you, ok? (crowd cheers) we’ll see you in a little while, alright? (crowd cheers)…”
 * 15.11.80 Houston, TX, after “Thunder Road”**

”Alright, this one’s for the veterans, alright (crowd cheers)… (…) It was a night...just like...except we were back in New Jersey (crowd cheers) who knows where New Jersey is? (crowd cheers) how’d you find out? (chuckles)...they been hiding it up there...it was me...Clarence...Steve...we were driving down this dark back road... there was no streetlights...it was real spooky...there were these sounds coming out of the woods (crowd cheers) and then... then we got a flat tire…how could I get a flat tire, right?...we got a flat tire (chuckles)...on the right side in the back...now, it was so dark that nobody would get out of the car to fix it...so we decided we’d, we’d figure it out the American way: we’d gamble (chuckles) (crowd cheers) trying to choose out who’s gonna go outside...can’t do that with three guys so that didn’t work...so finally...we were standing there...we all climbed in the front seat...huddled up close together...and just like in that movie “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” this big light came shining down on our car (crowd cheers) and as I looked out the window...I saw this big round something with Cadillac fins on it and a sign that said ”Little Melvin and the Invaders, we play parties, weddings and bar mitzvahs” (crowd cheers) so this guy sticks his head out...and he looks down...and he says “Hey Boss” (crowd cheers) “Which way” (crowd cheers) he says “Which way to the New Jersey Turnpike?” (crowd cheers) we said…“Which way to the New Jersey Turn-- wait a minute...wait a minute...we’re stuck down here on the road...we don’t have a spare ...no spare tire and you wanna know which way to the New Jersey Turnpike, alright, I make a deal with you...you gotta give us one wish each...and we’ll tell you how to get to the Turnpike”...so...now ...we thought real hard about this...Steve, what’s your wish?... Steve’s wish was...that the Steelers were playing as good as the Oilers (crowd boos) so he’s got it down with that wish, right? (crowd cheers) so Clarence, what was yours? (Clarence: ”I wished ...for (?)”) Clarence wished for West (?) cowboy outfit...now...I wasn’t gonna wish for things as silly as that...so I thought, let me see...my own combination laundromat-pizza parlour downtown Asbury Park (crowd cheers) no, it’s not big enough, that’s not enough, that’s not enough...so I thought of, uh...for some reason, I didn’t think to wish for a spare but...before I even said it...it was just in the back of my mind...and I looked over...I was thinking about what I was wishing for...and I looked over...on the dark...on the dark side of the road...and I saw...(sees his guitar)...and man, when we touched...”
 * 15.11.80 Houston, TX, intro to “Growin’ Up”**

“For the old-timers (crowd cheers)…”
 * 15.11.80 Houston, TX, after “Growin’ Up”**

“Alright! (crowd cheers) I got a crush on…”
 * 15.11.80 Houston, TX, intro to “Crush on You”**

“It’s been so long…now you know…now you know how much I’ve missed you…now you know how much I’ve missed you…it’s been so long…now you know how much I’ve missed you…(?)…now you know how much I’ve missed you…(sings without words)…so just come here… come here and let me hold you…come here and let me hold you…and we’ll go…hiding on the backstreets…”
 * 15.11.80 Houston, TX, middle of “Backstreets”**

“In a little café on the other side of the border…she was (?) bringing me food to make my mouth water…oh, wherever you are, Rosie… (…) To the far left of the stage…on the piano…Mr. E=MC2 (crowd cheers) and the only member of the band with a complete…high school diploma – Professor Roy Bittan (crowd cheers) go ahead, Roy, play something that educates me (Roy plays a Mozart-piece) (?) on the guitar, Miami Steve Van Zandt (crowd cheers) on the bass, Mr. Garry W. Tallent (crowd cheers) on the drums, Mighty Max Weinberg (crowd cheers) on the organ, Phantom Dan Federici (crowd cheers) and on the saxophone, Mr. Clarence Big Man Clemons (crowd cheers)…”
 * 15.11.80 Houston, TX, intro to “Rosalita”**

“This is for the Houston Fire Company (crowd cheers) they won’t leave you burning… (…) Alright…Big Man…there is no doubt…that off there in the distance…I see…way in the back there…I see a train coming on ‘round… (…) Bring it down…bring it down…what I wanna know is before I do this next part…is everybody insured? (crowd cheers) now, are you sure that you checked your policy before, before you came down here? are you all insured for a heart attack? (crowd cheers) alright …I warned you…I warned you…it’s time to roll on, Big Man…we gotta go to some other town now…we gotta bring it all around… alright…that train’s moving, it’s coming through…Ann Arbor, all aboard…going to Chicago, all aboard…Cincinnati, all aboard…St. Louis, Missouri, all aboard…Milwaukee, Wisconsin, all aboard… Portland, Oregon, all aboard…(?)…Seattle, Washington, all aboard… moving to California, all aboard…Los Angeles, all aboard…Phoenix, all aboard…Dallas, Texas, all aboard…Austin, Texas, all aboard… Louisiana, all aboard…Houston, Texas, all aboard (crowd cheers) Houston, Texas, all aboard…Houston, Texas, all aboard…Houston, Texas, all aboard…”
 * 15.11.80 Houston, TX, intro to “Detroit Medley”**

//Compiled by : Johanna Pirttijärvi//